DR Congo conflict: At least 17 killed, over 360 wounded in fierce clashes in Goma

Clashes between M23 fighters backed by Rwandan forces and the Congolese army in DR Congo’s eastern city, Goma, have killed at least 17 people and wounded 367, according to tolls by several hospitals obtained by AFP.

“Our surgical teams are now working around the clock to cope with the massive influx of wounded, as the fighting continues,” affecting mostly civilians, said Myriam Favier, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in North Kivu province which supports several hospitals in the city.

Heavy artillery fire rocked the eastern Congolese city of Goma on Monday as France warned the capital of the mineral-rich region was on the brink of falling to militia fighters and Rwandan troops.

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a mass panic among its 2 million people and Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war."

The M23 rebels announced the city’s capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline expired that had been imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons. Early Monday morning, gunfire was heard throughout the city, according to two aid workers sheltering there who were not authorized to speak to the media.

In a statement, the rebels urged residents of Goma to remain calm and for members of the Congolese military to assemble at the central stadium.

The M23 rebels’ offensive in the heart of the mineral-rich region threatens to dramatically worsen one of Africa’s longest wars and further displace civilians. According to a United Nations report, over a third of the population of North Kivu province where Goma is located are currently displaced and the capture of Goma will likely exacerbate the situation.

Who are the rebels and what do they want?

The M23 rebels — or The March 23 Movement — is one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region in a decades-long conflict in eastern Congo. In recent weeks, the rebels have made significant territorial gains, seizing towns and villages and encircling Goma.

The group was created in 2012 after the failed integration of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army. It claims to defend Tutsi from discrimination but critics say it’s a pretext for Rwanda to obtain economic and political influence over eastern Congo.

“Studies have long highlighted the smuggling of resources" from Congo into Rwanda, said Ladd Serwat, senior Africa analyst with U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. “Congolese officials increasingly accuse Rwanda of pursuing control over the region’s resources and aiming to annex parts” of Congo.

In territories under its control, M23 implements its own tax system, runs a local government and controls natural resources.

What’s the role of neighboring Rwanda?

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, which had only hundreds of members in 2021. Now, according to the United Nations, the group has around 6,500 fighters.

While Rwanda denies that claim, it acknowledged last year that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

Serwat, the Africa analyst, says that Rwanda’s engagement has brought it into direct conflict with Congolese forces, “escalating political tensions” between the neighbors.

A “declaration of war" by Congo against Rwanda would risk turning “into a regional conflict in East Africa,” said Darren Davids, an analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Why is Goma important for the rebels?

The city is a regional hub for trade, security and humanitarian efforts, and its airport is key for transporting supplies.

Back in 2012, the rebels seized Goma and controlled it for about a week but after mounting international pressure on Rwanda — including suspension of aid from the United States and Britain — the M23 surrendered the city.

Since 2021, Congo’s government and allied forces, including Burundian troops and U.N. troops, have been keeping the rebels away from Goma.

“The capture of such a large city” will certainly be a huge boost for the rebels and a major defeat of the government forces, said Davids, the economist.

Its fall would also have a “catastrophic impact on hundreds of thousands of civilians, putting them at risk of heightened exposure to human rights violations and abuses,” said Ravina Shamdasani of the U.N. human rights office.

Francois Moreillon, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross for Congo, said he’s worried also that ICRC staff running the main hospital in Goma would have to evacuate. If the hospital and the staff were no longer safe, who would treat the patients, he asked.

“This situation is simply unacceptable,” Moreillon said.

With inputs from agencies